


Bare Necessities

by Ladytalon



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Humor, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-05-02 11:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5246987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladytalon/pseuds/Ladytalon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kimiyo has a new neighbor with a habit she highly disapproves of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bare Necessities

He's going out there _again_ , Kimiyo thinks irritably as she sees her new neighbor sauntering across to the stairwell that leads to the roof of their building. "Good morning," he calls to her. She pretends not to hear him as she digs in her purse for her keys, wondering just what the man thinks he's doing. He's up on that roof almost every single day risking skin cancer - not that it's her business, but it _is_ her business when she's not able to go up on the roof because he sunbathes in the nude. It's been years since her children have shown much interest in going up there, but what if they did and saw him? Something should be done, and Kimiyo knows that she's the one who'll have to do it.

The fact that his body has to be seen to be believed doesn't help matters any; during a conversation with the landlord he'd let slip that her neighbor is a _physicist_ , of all things. What kind of physicist has a body like that, though? Obviously one who isn't that committed to his field if he has enough free time to become _that_ toned... and no professional spends each and every morning trying to get a tan. Besides, he's not even that good at tanning - she's seen better color on a slice of bread. She'd first come across the man while setting up her telescope for viewing the meteor shower; one moment Kimiyo was securing it into place, and when she turned around she'd gotten an eyeful of her new neighbor who was sprawled out on a towel with no clothes on.

She hurls her purse across the room, irritated that she'll have to go up there for a showdown when he should know better than to flaunt himself like he's for sale. _A physicist_ , she thinks derisively as she stomps into the bathroom for a towel before heading up to the roof. Kimiyo hopes that she's quick enough to catch him before he drops his pants and displays his assets to the world, but of course he's in the midst of displaying when she gets there. Taking a deep breath and heading over purposefully, but her progress falters when he stretches.

Well, maybe she can wait just a _little_ while longer.

Kimiyo steps back, wondering if he knows that she's there... though if he's going to show off like this he should expect to have people stare at him. He's certainly a sight worth staring at, if she's completely honest with herself. A _physicist_! Unbelievable. She feels like fanning herself as she runs her eyes over the broad shoulders, muscular chest, and powerful biceps. His skin definitely seems like it should be darker by now, but all the sun seems to be doing is making him _glow_ instead of tanned. His eyes are closed, so she gives into the temptation to tiptoe just a little bit closer so that she can get a better look.

She's just let her eyes wander down past some impressively chiseled abs when she realizes that he's looking right at her. "Good morning," he repeats, sitting up slowly.

"Penis - I mean, yes, hello. Good morning," Kimiyo splutters, throwing the towel into his lap and swiveling to look the other way. "You're... _naked_."

Kimiyo hears him stand up, and then his arm reaches past her shoulder to return the towel. "I noticed that."

Anger makes her turn back, and thankfully he's tucking his own towel around his waist because he's so tall that it's practically in her face. "You can't be up here all the time, there are _decency_ laws-"

"Really? Name one of them," the man interrupts. 

How dare he look so sanctimonious! "There are children in this building who cannot come up to the roof because you are here every single day, letting it all hang out!"

He studies her for a minute before responding. "When I moved in three months ago, I was told that there were only two families in this building who had children. One has six-month old triplets and the other family - I'm guessing that's you - has two school age children whom I've never seen climb those stairs. If my being here bothers you so much, I wish you had mentioned it earlier."

"There's not many opportunities for icebreakers when you've already seen someone naked," Kimiyo says, then flushes at the amused look on his face. _There's just opportunities to stare at a stranger's crotch. Maybe the earth really will swallow me whole this time._

The man looks down at her, then gives her a smile that takes her breath away. Why hadn't she noticed before how handsome he is? The strange little goatee isn't something she's ever seen anyone else have except for a dim memory of someone with the same style of facial hair, but it suits him. "Maybe we can create an opportunity for one now." He extends a hand which she takes automatically. "I'm Arthur."

She can feel the blush deepening. "My name is Kimiyo."

"Kimiyo? That sounds... is that...? I don't want to sound too ignorant, but I'm afraid I can't place the name."

"It's Japanese."

He tilts his head back slightly in realization. "Ah. I did a project once with an engineer from Kagoshima."

Kimiyo finds her eyes wandering yet again, and pulls them back up to his face. "Kagoshima? That's...where my father is from. We lived there briefly before he moved to Tokyo for his work." She doesn't know why she's offering all this information to him - it's like her mouth is just running away from her.

The big man smiles again. "There's a coincidence for you - the man I worked with also moved to Tokyo, and he even had a daughter. I don't suppose your father ever brought you to Metropolis," he says with a laugh.

She can only stare up at him in shock. "Well... yes. Yes, he did. S.T.A.R. Labs in Metropolis, actually."

Arthur looks no less surprised. "Are you telling me that your father...is Raiden Tazu?" He reads the confirmation on her face and reaches up to scratch behind his ear. "Wait a minute - that spoiled little brat was _you_?"

"Excuse me?" Kimiyo snaps. "I don't ever remember you being anywhere near my father - he worked with Jacob Finlay and Finlay's assistant."

"I was never Jacob's _assistant_! Jesus, is that what he told Tazu? God _dammit_...!"

Kimiyo is still trying to place him. "That couldn't have been you, that man was a scrawny beanpole-"

"I got better," Arthur reminds her, gesturing to himself. "You took a long enough look, after all."

"No," she protests. "There's no possible _way_."

"You dumped your soup on me when I asked you to move away from the equipment."

Warmth begins to creep up her neck until she's sure that her entire face is glowing red. "Um."

"Yeah, hello again."

This... is even more awkward than she'd ever thought things might get when she decided to confront him. "That doesn't give you the right to parade around here in the nude," Kimiyo says defensively.

Arthur looks more amused than ever. "If you say so."

"I say so!"

"How about this - I'm sure that, between us, we can work out some sort of schedule. That way, there are set days when I'm absolutely not allowed to _parade around here in the nude_... and days where you're invited to come up here and watch."

Kimiyo folds her hands over her chest and looks away as she catches herself glancing down at Arthur's towel. She should have been the first one to suggest a compromise and the fact that she wasn't is incredibly frustrating. "Fine," she says, irritation making her snappish.

"I can't really say you've changed very much, can I?" Arthur asks her.

She lifts her chin, narrowing her eyes at him. "What do you expect me to say to that?" If she had some soup with her now, history would be repeating itself. He smiles down at her as if she's just told the best joke he's ever heard, and she refuses to be charmed by those beautiful blue eyes. "Stop twinkling at me."

"...what?"

"Your eyes are twinkling. Knock it off."

The big man laughs aloud at this. "I'll 'knock it off' if you have dinner with me on Friday."

"Excuse me? Are you actually bribing me?"

"No, it's more along the lines of extortion. The fun kind," he explains. "There's a difference."

Kimiyo wonders aloud as to what the difference 'garden variety extortion' and 'fun extortion' could possibly be, and her old nemesis promises to tell her...over dinner on Friday. "I never agreed to dinner with you," she points out.

He smiles one last time and turns to leave. "I'll pick you up at six."

What an ass. Of course that's his cue to untie the towel at his waist and strut back over to his preferred spot. _What an ass_ , Kimiyo thinks again with a significantly greater amount of admiration. "Six-thirty," she finds herself saying. 

_Damn_ it.


End file.
